The Sound of a Bell
by kiyoshi rin
Summary: Kakashi finds himself the sole caretaker of their child after Rin's gone, can he handle it or will he succumb to the pain of losing her?
1. Chapter 1

**Title: The Sound of a Bell**

**Pairing: Kakaxrin**

**Rating: T**

**Chapter One: Heroes**

Team Minato despised the celebratory crowd that greeted them when they returned home; they all surrounded them and cheered as they walk through the gates that separated the forest from Konoha. Kakashi had a frown on his face as he walked through and Rin said nothing, there was only a blank look on her face. Minato felt the same way as they did, however, being the Fourth Hokage, he didn't have the liberty of expressing his exact feelings to the crowd which were anger, sorrow and regret. Minato wore a smile on his face instead and waved as they all approached him. The only ones that didn't join in on the celebration along with Team 7 were the people who were the closest to them. They stewed their anger in silence at the ignorance of the villagers. For the civilians of Konoha, this was the day of victory, the day the Third Shinobi War came to an end, but for all the shinobi who witnessed the war, it was the day of death. For Kakashi and Rin, it was the day of Obito's death which hung over them like a giant rain cloud.

Kakashi didn't bother to go and celebrate by eating at Ichiraku or Yakini-Q like what they always did with Minato whenever they finished a mission. Instead, he headed towards home with Rin trudging alongside him in silence. He glanced over carefully to see how she was doing, but her face showed nothing but emptiness. She was taking it harder than he was to the point where she didn't notice anything in front of her and just kept bumping into people. The people made no complaints however, especially not to the heroes of Konoha. Kakashi pulled her aside and looked at how dirty she was, her skirt was covered in dust and there were bits of leaves in her hair from the constant hiding in bushes and falling whenever they came upon attack. There were also some bloodstains, Obito's to be exact from when she had to surgically remove the eye and transplant it to his. Rin glanced up to him and with tears in her eyes; she uttered the words that Kakashi had etched into his brain since they arrived at the village: "We're not heroes."

He could feel the trembling of her body as he held her hand and knew that she was crying. He wanted so much to hug her and tell her that everything was going to be okay, but he couldn't. Especially when, it was his fault that all this occurred; it was his fault for thinking that shinobi should stick to the rules and regulations – putting it above their comrades.

"Come on, let's go home." Kakashi just told her as he let go of her hand and urged her to walk. She wiped the tears from her eyes and knew that this was as warm as Kakashi will ever be towards her. She walked behind him like a shadow and headed to her apartment which was in the same complex as Kakashi's… and Obito's. Kakashi didn't just let her go in alone though, he walked her back to her apartment, waited in the living room as she changed out of her dirtied clothes and made sure she was in bed. He was about to leave her when a hand reached out and grabbed the edge of his shirt.

"Please, don't leave." Rin whispered.

"I'll be here." Kakashi said a bit reluctant to have Rin need him so much. What he didn't know was that he needed her more than she needed him. She was afraid that once he was out of her sight, he would go off and never come back again. That was more than she could bear, especially after this whole ordeal. With as much strength as she could muster, she kept clinging onto his shirt even though he was already seated at her bedside. The side of his back made her feel cold and she yearned to just hold him and tell him everything was going to be alright, but she didn't want to scare him away. She knew that he felt he didn't deserve that from her especially after abandoning her, so the only thing she could do was talk to his back.

"Don't leave like Obito." She said before sleep overtook her and forced her to loosen the grip on his shirt. When he felt no tug, he got up and took a quick glance at her. Even in her dreams, her eyes were furrowed and looked anxious, he prayed that the old Rin would come back. He left the apartment before the desire to stay would overtake her.

Rin only slept for a few minutes before she opened her eyes again. She heard the door close and tears filled her eyes. He really left.

"Kushina?" Minato peered through the doorway of their bedroom and found her huddled on her side of the bed. He slipped under the covers and embraced her as tears slide down his cheeks. Kushina felt the tears on her back and she shuffled positions until she faced her grieving husband. She didn't need to ask and in her heart, she already knew what happened as she embraced him. She fought the tears in her eyes as she stroked his hair; it was her turn to take care of him and not the other way around.

"Everything will be okay." She said and kept stroking him until the tears were gone.

"I don't know what to do or say to Kakashi and Rin." Minato said in frustration. "How do I tell thirteen year olds that they need to move on? Obito…obito was their teammate – they're too young to face this already. Kakashi has dealt with death before, but it's unfair for him to have to do so again. Rin's an orphan, but she was a baby when they died. Why does this have to happened to them?"

"Those poor children…" Kushina said with pity in her voice. "Minato, the only thing you can do is keep them close to you, if you want, we can have them stay with us for a while."

"Kushina, wouldn't that put a strain on you, especially with Naruto coming…"

"He would be happy to have the company." Kushina whispered. "What's more important is taking care of Kakashi and Rin." Minato knew there was a reason why she was the one for him, Kushina understood him and knew how it felt like to be all alone with no one to turn to. The only problem was getting Kakashi and Rin to agree.

Kakashi woke up and found himself in an alley, he must have fallen asleep here after decided not to go to his apartment. He checked the time and realized he was late for the memorial, quickly, he rushed to the place where they constructed monument for the shinobi that had passed away. He made it when Minato was finishing his speech and tried to distance himself from Rin who looked like an empty shell of her past self.

"These shinobi died with honor and should be regarded as heroes to this village. These shinobi shall never be forgotten as we remember them from time to time while looking towards the future that awaits us." Minato said, with the last line directed towards Kakashi and Rin. He hoped he had gotten his point across and headed over to be by Kushina's side. Rin gripped the flowers she had bought from Yamanaka Inoichi's flower shop along with Obito's goggles which she kept with her when she removed them to perform the surgery. It was only half of the whole goggle though, with the other half pulverized by the rocks.

After the memorial service was over, she gingerly walked up to the monument and placed the items there. She felt a warm hand touch her shoulder and hoped it was Kakashi, but it turned out to be Kushina. She said nothing and just pulled the girl to her as Rin sobbed uncontrollably. As Rin cried, she felt the light kick of the baby and sobbed even more, knowing that a child would be born in this place of pain. She just hoped that the child would live in a time of peace.

"Kushina-san, what are you going to name the baby?" Rin asked curiously. She realized that she kept calling the baby "child" and wanted to call him by his proper name.

"We'll tell you once he's born." Kushina beamed and Rin nodded. Like all parents, Kushina wanted to be the first person to call out their baby's name and for it to be a surprise to everyone. She couldn't wait to show off their first baby and thank everyone for their comments. She wondered if the baby would have her hair color and Minato's personality.

"Kakashi, what do you think about living with Kushina and me?" Minato asked Kakashi once the memorial was over. Kakashi almost didn't catch him as he was busy watching over Rin. Rin stopped crying and looked over to see the two of them discussing something important.

"I'm fine." Kakashi replied and Rin joined them. She wondered what they were discussing.

"Rin, why don't you stay with Kushina and me?" Minato asked. The wind was blowing a bit strongly and Kushina went over to Minato's side to huddle close to her husband.

"Eh?" Rin was confused as to why they would decide such a thing.

"I'm going to be a lot busier since we're short on shinobi and I would like someone to protect Kushina and the baby. I also want someone to look after Kushina if she is in pain." Minato replied, he did want Kakashi and Rin to be the people to assist Kushina, but the other reason was that he didn't want Kakashi and Rin to just brood by themselves, it was better if they were surrounded by loved ones.

Kakashi and Rin looked at each other. Could they really live in the same place together after what happened to them?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: In Silence**

"You and Rin are going to live in the same place?" Asuma asked as they sat at Ichiraku Ramen. Teuchi served them large bowls of noodles and Asuma ate it heartily. Gai had joined them soon after when he was done walking backwards on his hands over 1000 steps.

"This is good, Teuchi-san! If you have a daughter, can I marry her in the future?" Asuma joked. Teuchi laughed.

"I'm hoping for a son! Hai, welcome!" Teuchi went off to greet other guests which had walked in.

The gang finished their noodles before they continued talking. The noodles warmed Kakashi up and he quickly placed his mask back on. Not many people ever saw the face underneath the mask, the only ones that did were Rin and Minato. Few were lucky to see it and those were the nurses who became smitten right away with him despite Kakashi being only fourteen and them in their twenties.

"I can't refuse if our captain said so." Kakashi merely said without revealing any sort of emotions he may have on the matter. To be honest, he didn't know whether to feel burden or joy. On one hand, he was happy to be able to be closer to Rin, but on the other hand, he felt as if he was betraying Obito. To Kakashi, Obito was still alive in his heart.

Asuma said nothing more, he knew that it was the most he would get out of Kakashi. Instead, they decided to focus on discussing new moves and what would happen to Konoha now that they were short of shinobi.

Meanwhile, at Anko's apartment, the girls (Kurenai, Anko, and Rin) were doing things that girls usually did together – braiding their hair and doing their nails. Kushina would have joined them; however, she was out shopping with Uchiha Mikoto for baby clothes. It was something Kurenai, Anko and Rin wouldn't have understood, especially Anko who felt children weren't exactly her thing. Besides, Kurenai was curious about how Rin felt on the whole issue with the living situation.

Rin took a deep breath and sighed. "Is it bad if I say I'm sort of excited?"

"Why would that be a bad thing?" Anko asked as she dried out her nails and admired the black nail polish which she put on very skillfully despite being a tomboy. Kurenai had painted hers a deep red and was starting to work on her toes.

"I think you deserve to be happy, especially after that." Kurenai referred back to the Obito incident which made Rin uncomfortable. She didn't want to think about it so much and she was do what Minato-sensei had suggested – moving on. However, it was still too fresh in her mind, especially since only a week has passed since that devastating ordeal and a day since the memorial. Kurenai sensed something was wrong and quickly deferred the topic. "So when do you move in?" She berated herself for her lack of sensitivity.

"Tomorrow." Rin replied. "Minato-sensei is going to help to bring my stuff." She had just painted her nails a dark iris color, the same as her stripes. She wasn't very skilled with nail artistry like Anko and Kurenai, but she wasn't terrible either. She rarely got a chance to paint her nails since a med-nin are usually not allowed to in case they treated illnesses with their hands rather than chakra. But she was given two weeks off so she could recuperate; basically it was med-nin talk for: she might have a mental breakdown soon especially after what happened to her, poor girl. But oh wells, she didn't really care since she didn't have any motivation to work in the hospital anyways.

"Do you need help with moving anyways?" Anko asked.

"No it's okay, don't you two have missions to go on?" Rin replied and the two realized that they did. They were getting more and more missions by the day and sometimes they went on two or three in a day; frankly, it was exhausting, but it's not like they can complain to the Fourth. He was the _Fourth._ So all they could do was suck it up and work even harder until the little kids graduated from the academy and worked their way up to chunin.

The next morning came too soon for the two shinobi and they both packed up their things from the apartment and placed it on a cart. Minato helped Rin carry her boxes to the cart and placed them alongside Kakashi's things. Kushina didn't join them as she was busy getting the rooms ready for them and she smiled at the thought of the two shinobi staying at their home. She had always wanted a big family, especially with hers gone.

"Naruto, one day you'll meet those lovely children too." She touched her stomach which was very large, she was due any time soon.

When the three shinobi walked in, she smiled warmly at them, with her eyes twinkling and teeth glistening from the light that pierce through the blue framed window. "Welcome home."

Rin ran up to her and gave her a hug; she inhaled the warm vanilla scent that Kushina had. Home. So this was what it felt like. Being an orphan, she had never experienced this type of life before and this was beyond her wildest dreams. Kakashi saw that smile on Rin's face and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He was scared that she would stay broken forever, but seeing that smile that she used to have caused the burden to be slightly lifted. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Minato smiling at him.

The couple showed the two shinobi their rooms and gave them time to unpack. Rin set down the photo of Team 7 and looked at it wistfully. "Obito, you'll always be there for Kakashi right?" She rested her head on her desk and closed her eyes for a few minutes. Whenever she did that, she always pictured the three of them spending all their time together since Minato wanted the team to be solid and use more teamwork. She remembered how Kakashi would insult Obito and get him riled up which meant she had to play peacemaker. Oh, what she wouldn't give for that to happen again. At least Kakashi seemed lively. Kakashi, in his own room, was feel nostalgic as well, except he felt regret also. Regret for not being able to get to know Obito and getting along better with him.

Without meaning to, the two shinobi ended up bumping into each other in the hallway, it had been a while since they had spoken. Rin knew that Kakashi wouldn't speak to her first; he held too much guilt over the whole ordeal so she would just have to muster up the courage and do it herself. "Kakashi."

When he heard his name being uttered by her, he stiffened up slightly. He must have looked pathetic – a jounin like him who isn't afraid of any ninjetsu is afraid of what might come out of a girl's mouth. His biggest fear was that she would one day just come up to him and blame him for Obito's death; he already blamed himself, but having it be reinforced would be a huge blow. He braced himself for the impact and managed to breath out: "Yes?"

Rin was surprised he actually responded and she hadn't actually prepared what to say, but her heart ended up beating her brain. "I still have feelings for you." She covered her mouth and she felt lucky that he was actually facing her, but his back was instead. She mentally berated herself for saying something so out of the blue and wished she could take it back. Part of her though, wanted to know what he would say, but she was scared to hear the response at the same time.

Kakashi tightened his fists. He didn't want to hear her say those words. "I'm the scum that abandoned you." That was all he said as he walked away and headed into the living room. He turned the corner and leaned against the wall, it felt like someone was sucking the chakra out of him…his heart hurt so much. Rin stood in the hallway frozen for the longest time. Tears started to fall and she wiped her eyes, this was to be expected. She knew he would say that, but she couldn't help it if she wished he would reciprocate her feelings.

Kushina was in the kitchen getting dinner ready and as usual, Minato couldn't bear to be away from Kushina and Naruto for a second and Minato really wanted to make sure Kushina's food was edible. Kushina laughed and tried to shove him aside, but that just made him stick around even more as he wrapped his arms around her. He rested his chin on her collarbone and closed his eyes. She leaned against him for a few minutes. They didn't need words to communicate how they were feelings. Minato hoped that he would be a great father to his son and Kushina wished they would have more moments like this. She felt the baby kick and the couple were astonished by how strong it was.

During dinner, Kushina and Minato tried to make things lively and escape any awkward silences. Rin did her best to look happy since she knew a mother's emotions can affect the unborn child, so she tried to keep Kushina entertained as much as possible. Kakashi realized how hard Rin was trying and he decided to join in by laughing and poking fun at their sensei. The brunette looked at the silver-haired boy and wished they could laugh like this more often. Kakashi sensed Rin looking at him and he looked up to find her staring, not bothering to act shy like she used to be.

After dinner was over, Rin decided to help by clearing the dishes and Kakashi, who felt indebted to the Namikaze's, decided to help out as well. Kushina and Minato beamed as the teens cleaned the table, what they didn't expect was a knock on their door. When Minato opened it, he found it was the Third Hokage and his wife. Their stern expressions showed that they didn't come here just for a visit and Minato told them to hold on a minute. He called out to Rin and Kakashi and asked them to go out and buy some mochi for dessert. Once they left, Minato sat down with Kushina at the dining table across from the Third and his wife.

Kakashi walked ahead of Rin and she constantly ran up to be by his side. When he started walking faster again, she decided to tug his sleeve which stopped him at his tracks. A cool breeze blew by and the shining moon covered the roads like white snow. Some noise could be heard from buildings with closed doors and animals were making noise in the distance. It was only the two of them on that deserted road and Rin had wanted to say something, but she opted not to. One harsh reply was enough for today so she decided to just let go of his sleeve and walk ahead of him. She was tired of being the one trailing behind – the helpless one. Kakashi looked at her back and it already felt like she was going far, far away from him. He longed to pull her back and hold her hand, but whenever he wanted to, all he could think about was the love Obito had for her. He wasn't sure if he could give her that same amount of love and besides, the promise he made to Obito was to protect Rin. It would be betrayal if he did anything other than that.

"I'll wait for you." Rin said after they were nearly in front of the store. Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise and saw the strength that she had as she looked up at the sky. "Until you can stop blaming yourself, I'll wait for you."

**Thank you all for reading! Silent readers, please review, it would be helpful to me and it doesn't even have to be an English review! ^^ Hooray for google translate!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: The Calm Before the Storm**

"You two are late! We were worried about you!" Kushina grabbed the two into a headlock. Rin struggled to get out of it and Minato just laughed at the trio.

"Kushina-sensei, you'll squish the mochi!" Rin protested and Kushina let go to save the dessert. Kushina grabbed the bag from the girl and happily opened the box; it was something she had been craving for a while. Kakashi turned to leave to his room with the excuse that he was tired and laid down on the bed.

_"I'll wait for you. Until you can stop blaming yourself, I'll wait for you." Rin looked up at the sky. For some reason, the Rin before him was different from the one that he had always know, she seemed stronger and more determined. Kakashi was unsure of how to reply and decided to change the topic to buying the mochi. _

"You'll wait, huh?" Kakashi said to himself.

The next day, Minato and Kushina announced how they were going on a little trip and they were leaving this evening. Before they did leave, Kushina suggested they all go out and have some fun. Kushina and Minato decided to take them out on a picnic since it was such fine weather. It had been raining the past few days, so they couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. Of course, Anko, Shizune, Kurenai, Gai, and Asuma were invited also. They set up the blanket under the tree and laid out all the food which would make one drool upon seeing it. Rin hugged Shizune tightly, of their quartet, those two were the closest since they both practiced medical ninjutsu. Shizune wasn't able to join them last time at their little girls' night out since she was out with her Uncle Dan and Tsunade on a mission, but she heard from Kurenai and Anko about what happened and she admired Rin's courage.

"So, how's living with Rin?" Asuma whispered to Kakashi. "Did anything happen?"

"Asuma, you make me sound like some kind of pervert." Kakashi muttered through the black mask which obscured any expression he may have. "Since you think of me like that, maybe I should really start acting like one." And maybe then, Rin would get over him.

"Now that you mention it, I heard Jiraiya-sama was making some new adult book." Asuma said. "Maybe you and Gai would want to read it."

"Like I would ever read those trashy books." Kakashi replied. Asuma shrugged and gave him pat on the back before heading over to Kurenai. Kakashi smirked; Asuma had the biggest crush on Kurenai that anyone had ever seen. He wasn't sure if Kurenai even knew at all, but Kakashi wouldn't want to like her – with that scary father of hers, Asuma was asking to be pummeled. He looked over at his friends and decided to join them. As usual, Gai was busy arguing with Anko about something, most likely about which technique was the best. Kurenai did her best to mediate this but eventually, she just gave up and joined Rin and Shizune.

Kushina and Minato lay against the tree with Minato's arm around her and Kushina's head resting on his chest. They watched the children play around and she smiled at them. "Mikoto already gave birth to her second child; I can't wait to see her."

Minato kissed Kushina on top of her head. "You can go see her before we leave Konoha."

"Minato, to tell you the truth, I'm scared. What if the Kyuubi breaks free?" Kushina asks and clenched tighter onto his hand.

"I'm scared too." He soothed. "But I'll make sure everything will be fine, that way Naruto, you and Konoha will be safe."

The group ate their lunches and sat down to enjoy the breeze for a while which felt nice. Evening came and Kushina knew that she and Minato had to leave Konoha, but before that, they each gave the shinobi hugs.

"Stay safe and hurry back home, okay?" Minato ruffled Kakashi's hair.

"Don't let Kakashi get to you." Kushina smiled. "Stay safe and we'll be back soon!" She hugged Rin one last time and Rin inhaled that warm vanilla scent again so it stayed in her memories until Kushina came back. Rin hoped that she would be back soon and they could all have dinner and eat together again. Although they had all lived together for only two days, she had never felt more at home.

After the Namikaze family left, the teenagers decided to go and hang out some more at Gai's apartment which he had all to himself since his parents weren't around. It was already evening and the sky had turn a scarlet-yellow which made Rin think of Kushina and Minato. She wondered if she could ever find a love like that. They settled down their things and Anko grinned mischievously.

"Why don't we play a game of truth or dare?" She had a Cheshire smile which made the others very nervous. Usually when she had that grin, it meant she was up to no good. She scanned the room for her first victim and targeted the silver-haired boy. "Kakashi, truth or dare?"

Kakashi breathed out a sigh, he had no other option, but dare since they were all shinobi, everyone could sense when the other was lying. "Why even ask?"

Anko's grin got so wide, all her teeth showed. "Then…I dare you to go into the closet for 10 minutes."

"Easy enough." Kakashi got up.

"With Rin." This made Kakashi flinch a bit. Rin looked up in surprise at the sound of her name. She knew that once Anko suggested this game, she was up to no good. She should have stopped Anko earlier.

"Enough talking, let's go!" Gai and Asuma dragged the two into a closet and closed the door. The four of them decided to go out and get some snacks.

Rin was about to leave when Kakashi grabbed her arm, if they left now, they would think of a worse punishment. Rin sat down and she could hear the quiet breathing of Kakashi. She held her own breath, afraid to even breathe.

"Minato and Kushina really left, huh?" Kakashi said to break the awkward silence. He put his hands in his pocket and decided to sit down with her. He was careful not to let a single part of him touch Rin and leaned against the wall.

"They'll be back." Rin smiled. "They're only going to be out of town for a few days." She hugged her knees to her and rested her chin on her arms. Despite the darkness, she could still make out the silhouette of the shinobi. She decided to reminisce with Kakashi in order to get him to talk. She chuckled to herself.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"If Obito was still here, he would have hit you in this dark closet and pretended he did nothing." Kakashi thought about that and started laughing, the two of them bonded over the talk of Obito. Before they knew it, 10 minutes had passed and the closet door was open to let the light flood in. Kakashi saw them all eating snacks and realized that they had left while he was doing the dare. He got slightly annoyed when the truth or dare game stopped after his turn since Asuma suggested they play another game instead. The group laughed into the night until it was almost dark. Kurenai had to go home quickly before she broke her curfew, her father only let her stay out overnight if she was on a mission or notified him at least 24 hours beforehand. Asuma quickly jumped up to volunteer to walk Kurenai home which Kakashi mentally rolled his eyes at. Asuma gave them a legit reason though: his father, the Third, would be angry if he stayed out really late. Knowing that the party was breaking up, Shizune decided she should go home too, her Uncle Dan and Tsunade were bound to give her a piece of their mind if she stayed out late, plus she had a mission to prepare for. Anko decided to walk out with her.

"So what should we do about that little sleeping cat over there?" Anko gestured to the purple stripe-faced girl who was sleeping beside the table. Kakashi asked Gai to help him place Rin on his back and he got up to walk with the girls. They said goodbye to their host and headed home. It wasn't so dark though since the full moon shone brightly above them and the small strips of cloud that slightly covered that full circle made the night look even prettier. Kakashi and Rin split with Anko and Shizune along the way and they also said their good byes to each other. As Kakashi walked home, he could hear Rin's slightly snoring followed by some words that she mumbled.

Unbeknownst to Kakashi, Rin was having a nightmare. She usually dreamt the same dream of Obito falling and being crushed by the rocks and then how that enemy shinobi actually killed Kakashi instead of the other way around. She was then left all alone. This time, another dream appeared right after that one. For some reason, the moon in her dream was a blood red and the screams of villagers echoed like bats in a cave. She saw the faces of everyone distorted and bloody; all of them cried for help, but she couldn't use her med-ninjutsu all at once. She saw all the villagers die in front of her and the enemy shinobi with demon masks on rushed to her and grabbed her neck to choke her.

"Rin!" Kakashi shook her to get her to wake up. Along the way home, she had suddenly started crying and when Kakashi placed her on the bench, she was actually crying in her sleep. He had quickly rushed home and placed her on the bed when her dreamed seemed to get worse. She had said Obito's name in her dream with a frantic tone, but then started bursting into tears and saying Kakashi's name. He then realized she had stopped breathing which was when he resorted to shaking her to wake her up.

After what seemed like the longest time, her eyes opened and looked terrified. Rin realized she was drenched in sweat and looked up to see Kakashi's frantic expression. "What happened?" She managed to say despite the dryness in her throat.

"You had a nightmare." He managed to squeak out. Kakashi noticed that she didn't seem surprised when he told her what she was doing. He knew that meant that it wasn't her first time. "How long has this been happening?" He demanded.

"Three days now." She said quietly and looked down. She had hoped that she could keep the nightmares a secret since she didn't want to burden Kakashi. She knew he had his own problems to deal with and she didn't want to pile it on.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kakashi asked with a hint of anger in his tone. Something as important as this should have been told to him. Wasn't he after all her teammate? The only person she had left after Obito's death? He felt betrayed that she would keep something this major away.

"It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?! You almost died! I saw you not breathe!" Fear struck his heart when he uttered that last phrase. The worst case scenario kept popping into his head of him not being there to wake her up and she died. If that happened, he would have broken the promise he had with Obito. He knew there was more to that, but he didn't dare to think about it. But that question kept dancing in his mind until he finally addressed it. If Rin died, what would happen to him?

She took out a red string with a bell attached to it. It was a gold bell with a clear sound. "I usually wear this to sleep so the noise can wake me up."

"And what if it doesn't?" Kakashi asked steely. Rin narrowed her eyes. Did he want her to die? Besides, what was he going to do about it? It's not like he could stay with her 24/7. He barely spoke to her, this was the longest amount of time they had conversed and it wasn't even about anything happy. Tears sprung from her eyes and she looked away, struggling to keep her cool. She hastily wiped the tears and felt another hand rub against her cheek. She looked up to find that Kakashi was sitting on her bed and wiping away her tears with eyes that also looked shiny.

Kakashi couldn't help himself. Before his mind could process what was happening, his body was already naturally reacting to Rin's emotions. He struggled to pull away but the more he did so, the more his body objected. Soon he saw that he had embraced Rin and held her close. Rin was surprised by the sudden contact, but she went along with it and didn't resist. It was the first time Kakashi had done something like this for her. He felt her grip onto his black shirt and her body started trembling, his shoulder was slowly starting to get soaked with her tears. Kakashi held her tighter; perhaps he needed this contact more than she did.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Silent readers, feel free to review, I don't bite ^^

**Chapter 4: Pouring Salt on Open Wounds**

Rin opened her eyes and her pupils shrunk at the amount of light that was penetrating through the window. She felt something holding her down and she realized she wasn't laying her head on her soft pillow that was the color of irises. She was leaning against something hard and she felt it rise and fall. She looked up to find Kakashi sleeping in her bed, he looked peaceful and she didn't want to move at all. She wondered what happened last night for Kakashi to be sleeping in her room.

_Kakashi and Rin stopped hugging and looked at each other with a light blush on their faces. Before Kakashi was able to stop himself again, he did something stupid._

_ "For today, I'll sleep here to keep watch in case that happens again." Rin wasn't expecting him to say something like this and she could already picture Anko's Cheshire grin when she hears of this. It's probably safe not to let that slip. She was brought back to the topic at hand; she didn't know how to reply. Would it be bad if she said yes? It might be better for Kakashi if she said no, right? Where was a flower when you need one?_

_ "Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother…" _

_ "It's okay." Kakashi sat down on the floor beside the bed which was not what Rin wanted for him. A shinobi rarely got a chance to sleep on a nice mattress with all the missions they go on. _

_ "Sleep on the bed." Rin said quietly. She tugged at the shinobi's shirt, but he wouldn't move. She decided the only way he would sleep on the bed is if she guilted him into it. She sat down on the floor with him and curled up into a ball. Kakashi urged her to sleep on the bed, but she said it was rude for only her to sleep on it hence she will sleep down here. Rin's plan worked as Kakashi sighed and got up to sleep on the bed. Kakashi didn't want to sleep on the bed for the fear that he might want to hold her in his arms as he slept – something he didn't deserve, but Rin was a very persistent person. The two shinobi ended up sleeping with their backs facing each other. Neither was able to really sleep as they were both aware that they were on the same bed. Soon, sleep overtook them anyways and the gap between them slowly closed._

Rin blushed when she remembered what had happened. She wondered if maybe she should get up before this gets all weird for them, but part of her told herself not to. She enjoyed this warm feeling which she missed and for once, she wasn't scared of going to bed. She closed her eyes and Kakashi's breathing seemed like a lullaby as his chest rose and fell as if rocking her to sleep. She thought that this felt really nice and gave a small smile, she couldn't wait until Kushina and Minato came home.

But all those thoughts dispersed when there was a giant crash and the sirens sounded. Instantaneously, Kakashi woke up with a jolt, as did Rin. His shinobi senses kicked it and he didn't even register the fact that he and Rin cuddled to sleep. He quickly got up and they both left that house to see the villagers in a wide panic.

"Kyuubi!" A villager shouted. Kakashi looked up and saw the angry nine tails bringing calamity to Konoha; Rin and Kakashi split ways. Rin headed to the hospital where Tsunade and Dan were busy instructing what everyone should do. They decided that all the med-nin should split up into different areas of Konoha.

"What should I do, Tsunade-sama?" Rin asked, she was ready to utilize her skills to help the village.

"Go and help the citizens evacuate." She ordered. Rin was confused as to why when she thought she could be useful to Konoha by using med-jutsu. When asked why, Tsunade told her she had to save her chakra for the aftermath of the attack since there would be a lot more saving to do. Tsunade told her to take Shizune with her and they both ran off. Rin saw a boy who didn't want to leave his parents as he cried.

"Rin!" The mother called out to her. "Please help me take Iruka to the evacuation center." Rin nodded and grabbed the boy before he clung onto his parents any longer. She tried to soothe him by deciding to carry him. Shizune took Rin's backpack for her and the two headed into the center located underground. Rin stood by Kakashi and set Iruka down next to her. Kurenai's father was instructing that all the young chuunin go into hiding much to the protests of Kurenai that they could fight. Rin was scared that Kakashi might be taken away since he was a jounin after all, she grabbed Kakashi's hand and held it as if it could prevent him from leaving. The jounin felt someone grab his hand and the surge of comfort he felt from that little contact. He didn't protest, but let her do so since she must have been really scared; he didn't know that she was scared for him though. Rin breathed a sigh of relief as Kakashi didn't get pulled out despite the skills that he had, but news spread that the Fourth had taken the Kyuubi away from the village by himself. This made Kakashi panic and he squeezed Rin's hand.

Kakashi wasn't sure how much time had passed, but suddenly, people were able to go out. The light burned their eyes since they were in doors for so long. Iruka, who Shizune was holding onto, was frantically calling out his parents' names. It didn't take long for it to dawn on the older children that his parents were gone, it was especially more obvious when other children clung onto their shinobi parents whom had survived the Kyuubi attack. Rin looked around for her sensei and his wife, but no one came to greet them. Tears fell down her cheeks, no one needed to tell her what had happened. She looked over to Kakashi and found that he was also crying.

"Damn it!" Kakashi fell to his knees and hit the ground, it was the same response he had to Obito's death except Rin knew this one would hit Kakashi even harder. Rin pulled Kakashi into his embrace although they were in the middle of the street. It didn't matter to her that everyone was watching – everyone was doing the same thing anyways.

"Kushina-san." Rin suddenly remembered. "We have to find her." They set out to find the Third and found he was sitting in the Hokage's office with a forlorn expression etched across his face.

"Sandaime…Kushina…" Rin could barely say the words since she was still sobbing for her sensei, but she stopped breathing when he gave no response. He stayed silent and looked down at the baby he was holding; he had blond hair like sensei's and big bright blue eyes.

"This child saved this village. Yondaime had sealed it in this baby." He replied. Rin dropped to her knees and started crying some more, she couldn't handle it anymore, all the pain and hurt. It was as if someone stabbed her directly in the heart.

Somehow, they managed to get back home which was surprising in the neighborhood which did not get damaged by the Kyuubi, Rin and Kakashi went into their respective rooms, each reminiscing about sensei and Kushina.

_"Kakashi, when I come back, we'll train harder together." Minato gave Kakashi his million dollar smile and ruffled the teen's hair. _

_ "Kakashi, dinner time!" Kushina smiled and held a pot in her hands. "Go wash up!"_

_ "Rin, your med-ninjutsu skills are amazing. Keep working at it and save us from danger, ne?" Minato had told her one night when she and him were on night watch together. _

_ "If you want to win Kakashi over, just be feisty like I was." Kushina smiled and hugged her close. _

Even now, Rin could smell that warm vanilla scent which filled her with a sense of maternal love. She huddled herself to sleep, but a sound awoke her and she quietly opened the door knob to find Kakashi walking through the hallway swiftly to avoid alerting her. Quietly she trailed him, until he purposely made her lose him. Kakashi was no fool and could sense when someone was following him, he didn't need to see the person to know who it was. He ended up in the Hokage office where the Third had resumed office since there was no one to take over. In his arms was the little child.

"It's Minato-sensei's child, isn't it?" Kakashi deduced. The Third said nothing and the silence was broken by the cooing of the baby.

"Is this why you're here in the middle of the night?" The Third questioned.

"I want to sign up for ANBU." Kakashi said. The Third turned to look at Kakashi, from the look of the boy's eyes, he wasn't joking. What he also saw was a boy who had lost his way.

"Joining ANBU is no joke." The Third stated. "ANBU takes on S-class missions with the village in mind, if you're asking for a death sentence; I suggest you find another way."

"Sandaime, I want join ANBU to protect this village the way my sensei did. Please, let me join." The Third closed his eyes. This village did need stronger shinobi's in ANBU, especially after he was notified that the ones guarding Kushina's birth had passed away.

"When can you start?"

"Tomorrow."

Rin had walked around the streets of which some were wreaked and deserted. Usually, it was still lively around this time of night, the bars were open and drunken oji-sans walk around merrily, but after what happened, the streets were somber. The lights in all the houses were shut and she could have sworn she heard crying which wouldn't be surprising.

"Rin." She heard a voice call out and it was Kakashi who had found her sitting there in the middle of the road. She had no idea her legs had gave out on her. Kakashi walked over and carried her. "Come on, let's go home."

"It's Minato and Kushina's house. It's not home anymore." Rin said quietly as she wiped away her tears. She placed her head by his collarbone and closed her eyes to fall asleep.

The next morning, a memorial service was held once again and again Rin shed tears. Kakashi's face was somber as if he was trying hard to control the emotions he was feeling at that moment. A statue would be built to commemorate what occurred and after the service was over, Rin tried to look for Kakashi, but realized he had already left. She saw the Third take Iruka's hand and held a baby also; she couldn't help but feel as if everyone resented the baby. The baby, knowing nothing, cooed and laughed. She wanted so much to hold the baby, but she knew that she had to find Kakashi before he went into a mode of self-destruction. When Rin got back to the house, she found a note that said he was going on a mission and would be back soon.

Rin gripped the paper in her hand, this was a message that she too had to get stronger and move on from sensei and Kushina's death. She quickly walked out of the house and asked the Third if she could be assigned to B-rank missions as a medical shinobi. The Third gave his approval as with the shortage of shinobi, Rin's medical ninjustsu could help a lot of shinobi survive. So she too, went on long missions with other shinobi, hoping that she would get assigned to Kakashi's team, but that never happened.

Kakashi left the memorial service and headed over to the ANBU headquarters where the Third had already notified the captain of their new recruit. They gave him the standard ANBU gear that came with an animal mask; in this case, it was a dog. After that, they tattooed him with the signature blood red ANBU tattoo as initiation. He grabbed his things and set out to his first mission.

A year had passed since Minato and Kushina's death, Naruto had now grown to be a year old. Rin sometimes walked by him with the Third and she saw that everyone ignored him so whenever she saw him, she would always pick him for a few seconds. Most of the time though, she's at the house tidying up everything so when Kakashi came back from his missions, Rin was at the house already preparing food for two, she had done this for a week now. She knew he would come back anytime soon and set the table with home-cooked food. She never asked about the missions he had since she was sure that he didn't want to talk about it, but one day it all changed.

Rin was fixing up a warm dinner when she heard someone stumble in. It was Kakashi and his left arm was hastily bandaged up; the blood had soaked through the cloth bandages and was slowly spreading out like an oil spill in the ocean. Rin quickly dropped the food on the table and rushed over to give it some clean bandages.

"What happened?" She asked when she ripped open a bag of clean, rolled up bandage. Kakashi told her how it was just a scratch and to not worry about it, but Rin just told him to hold still. The clean bandages fell from her hand when she unraveled it to find above the wound was an ANBU tattoo. Kakashi had wanted her to not find out about it because it would make her worry. He had run over scenarios of how he would break it to her, but all that practice was useless as he didn't know what to say. He expected her to say something but she just dressed the wound and put away the kit.

"How could you?" Rin demanded suddenly. She knew she had no right to interfere with his life, but she couldn't help it. Everything that had happened, they had been through together. "ANBU? That's death."

Kakashi cringed at the word "death," he wished she had used another word, but Rin wasn't one to say something carelessly. "I'm going to protect Konoha." That's what he wanted to do, he could only accept high ranking missions that way that were challenging and ANBU exclusive.

Rin tightened her fists. "Keep telling yourself that." She got up and left the house. Kakashi wanted to go after her, but stopped himself, there was no point since nothing he did now would change her mood. The only way would be to quit and that wasn't what he was planning on doing any time soon. However, the more he sat there, the more he just got worried so he got up and decided to secretly trail after her. Rin walked around and was about to punch a wall when she realized that she needed her hands to heal people so she kicked the wall instead. She couldn't believe that he had her fooled for a year! How could she not have caught on? Those long months away and the flak jacket that he didn't zip up, but casually wore over. She went over to the Third's office and was about to yell at him when she saw little Naruto in his playpen. Minato had protected this village by sealing the Kyuubi in Naruto, he sacrificed himself for this village so why couldn't Kakashi? Was she being selfish by wanting him to quit?

"What are you doing here?" The third hokage asked, his hat always made him look so intimidating. She clenched her fist.

"Please assign me to A-rank missions." Rin said.

Kakashi had heard everything in the hallway and wanted to object, but like how Rin had no right to make him quit, he had no right to stop her. He clenched his fists and walked away.

Before either of them had a chance to talk it over, they were both assigned to different and longer missions which lead them to be away from each other longer. Soon, the house which was always bright and warm ended up being dark and too spacious for only one person to live in. Soon, without even knowing it, they had moved back to their old apartments. The house was left deserted and everything Kushina and Minato owned gathered dust. The only thing Rin and Kakashi took from there was their own Team 7 pictures, a gold bell, and their clothes. They each took one look at the dining table in which they all sat at once upon a time and closed the door behind them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The Sunlight Through the Fog**

Rin and Kakashi hadn't spoken to each other in three years. Three long years for Rin at least, she wasn't sure how he felt about it, but to her it hurt. Things were changing too fast for her to even grasp. After the death of Dan, Tsunade and Shizune had left Konoha which left the brunette in tears; she had lost both her best friend and teacher in one day and there was nothing anyone could say to her to make her feel better. Asuma had left after a fight with the hokage, his father. Kurenai and Anko were jounin so they both left on long journeys. As for Gai, she was never really close to him, that was Kakashi. Kakashi, it hurt even worse for her that he and she weren't on speaking terms. Whenever they did see each other which was rare since they lived on different floors in the apartment complex, they didn't speak. They just made eye contact and went off their own way. Rin wasn't sure how long she could handle this for. She frequently went to visit the monument that was built in remembrance of the shinobi that lost their lives in the Kyuubi attack. Sometimes she would talk to Iruka when she saw him there, but most of the time, those two didn't really want to speak; they mostly wanted to reflect silently. Rin ended up losing a lot of weight from the lack of appetite and from the depression. She didn't let it affect her medical ninjutsu, but it affected her social ability since no one wanted to talk to someone who was distraught.

On one cresent moon night, Rin stood at the roof of the apartment at the edge. She felt the wind blow through her long hair which she grew out because she admired Kushina's hairstyle. She wondered, if she jumped now, would she be able to see Obito, Minato, Kushina…and her parents? She step a bit closer to the edge and the tears blinded her eyes.

"What are you doing?!" Kakashi shouted and she turned around to see the jounin in a panicked state. She decided that jumping backwards and seeing his face one last time seemed to be the ideal way to go.

"Kakashi." Rin smiled. "I'm going to see sensei."

"Are you crazy?!" Kakashi shouted, he rarely showed any anger towards anyone since over the years, he had become less stiff and started being more relaxed like Obito was. "Come here."

Rin shook her head and more tears flowed down her cheeks. "My heart hurts and it's lonely, Kakashi. It's worse than dying."

"Please, don't." Kakashi pleaded. He slowly walked up and reached out his hand to her. Rin made no movements.

"If you're only saying that because of your promise to Obito then don't bother. It's better if I just go and see him myself." Rin was tired of the way Kakashi treated her like an agreement. To live a life like that is no more than being dead. The wind blew a bit harder. "Goodbye Kakashi, my feelings for you have never changed." She closed her eyes and let herself free fall when she felt something jerk her forward. She felt arms tightened around her and a body shaking. She realized belatedly that Kakashi was crying.

"If I had been a second late…" Kakashi sobbed and didn't want to think of the worse. This was the second time he had ever cried so hard in his life, the first being the death of his father, Hatake Sakumo. He rarely cried since it made him vulnerable, but he couldn't stop. Rin didn't see Kakashi anymore, but a scared little boy. Kakashi didn't let her go and held on as letting go would be the biggest mistake of his life. He had a nightmare about this once, but he never thought it would actually come true. But he was thankful though, that he made it in time because in his nightmare, he had missed.

"Why did you stop me?" Rin asked.

Kakashi had no words to express it, he kissed her on the lips and she felt the thin fabric of his maak. She cautiously pulled the mask off and pressed her lips against his. It was a soft kiss at first, but all the pent up desire and yearning broke free and they kissed each other more desperately. Kakashi pulled Rin onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her thin waist, how had it gotten so thin? She felt like a feather on his lap and all bones. Her soft lips made his heart on fire and he could only imagine what would happen if it went further. He mentally apologized to Obito for stealing his girl, but it hurt even more when he couldn't have her. These four years were hell for him as he endured passing by the hallway and not sneaking a glance at her back. It slowly started to rain, but they didn't care, all that mattered was they had to make up for lost time.

Rin thought she must have been dreaming because Kakashi wouldn't be doing this right now. But even if she was dreaming, she didn't want to wake up. She ran her hands through his rough silver hair and felt like she was melting as his lips heated her up. "I love you." She whispered as he kissed her neck and she kissed his forehead, that soft touch sent shivers down his spine. The rain continued to pour and it cleansed away the guilt they felt.

Kakashi opened his eyes the next morning and saw Rin sleeping beside him with her face facing him. He never noticed how purple her stripes were, how red her lips, how reddish-brown her hair was, how white her skin was. He smiled, his lips turned upward and his eyes crinkled. So this was what it felt like to be…dare he say…in love. His eyes traced her face a thousand times over and he mentally stored up the detailed image of Rin in his mind. He chuckled softly as he remembered the first time they had slept on the same bed, they were clothed of course, but besides that, he remembered how he had pretended to stay asleep even though he was wide awake. Like Rin, he wanted to stay in bed with her longer. Gingerly, he used the tip of his finger tip and traced her profile, admiring every detail and wondering how an angel like her ended up with a demon like himself.

Rin's eyelids fluttered open and she saw Kakashi staring at her which made her embarrassed at first, but she realized that they had done more embarrassing things last night. "Good morning." She whispered and scooted closer to him. He wrapped his strong arms around her and pulled her even closer to him, narrowing the gap between them. He gave her a kiss on the forehead, moved his way to the bridge of her nose and captured her lips in his.

"I'll make breakfast." She got up and grabbed the blanket with her to cover the front of her. Kakashi propped his head with his elbow, admiring the smooth porcelain skin of her back until he couldn't take it much longer. He quickly rushed to her and carried her back to bed as she laughed and kicked playfully.

They finally made breakfast, well technically lunch since it took them a while to get out of bed, but they called it breakfast since they were eating some waffles. For the first time in a long time, they grinned like fools and for the first time in a long time, neither had any missions. They just enjoyed each other's company. Since it was a nice day out, Rin decided they should go out on a date while Kakashi wanted to just sit here and look at Rin all day with no limitations. Besides, going out meant changing and that meant Rin would have to change out of his long black shirt and into something else; frankly, she was sexy with his shirt on. Rin knew exactly what he was thinking, it wasn't so hard when she has a man staring at her for so long.

"Should I wear this outside?" Rin teased. Kakashi shook his head, if anyone was going to see this sexy side of Rin, it was only going to be him and him only! So he rushed Rin to go change before he had a change of mind about going out. Once she was ready, they held hands as they walked like normal couples did.

"Ohhh!" Anko was the first to point it out and she said it in such a way that it drew attention to them. Everyone looked at the couple and Rin could have sworn she saw some girls give her the stink eye; well, Kakashi wasn't free of any stink eyes either since Rin had a few fans herself.

"Rin nee-chan!" A three year old blond boy ran up and hugged Rin tightly.

"Oh, Naruto! You've grown haven't you?!" Rin measured the little boy and he was up to her knees. "Do you want some ramen?"

The boy nodded his head furiously and Rin swooped him up. Kakashi smiled to see this maternal side of Rin, he always knew she had it in her based on the way she tenderly treated every wound he had been inflicted with. They went to Ichiraku where Teuchi made the world's best ramen even though he had little Ayame to take care of. Rin thinks that Ichiraku's popularity might have soared thanks to the little 7 year-old since everyone came to see how pretty she was. Some probably tried to arrange a marriage with her to their nephew, grandson, or son which Teuchi politely declined. He was the kind of father that doted on their daughters to the point where marriage and boys were out of the question. Rin looked at Kakashi and wondered what kind of father he would be to their future daughter. She blushed at the thought of it, she can't believe she assumed that they would have children together much less a future?! She felt her cheeks burning and Kakashi looked over to see tomato colored face.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi put a hand on her cheeks which made her burn up even more.

"I'm fine." Rin said shyly.

"Ah young love." Teuchi blushed and thought about his late wife who Ayame took after more than him in terms of looks. He rang the bell and said their food was on them which made Naruto cheer despite the fact that he thought love was icky. After Ichiraku, Rin took Naruto back to the Third who murmured a thank you before getting back to work. They went and met up with Kurenai who Asuma was continuously with, Asuma's tenacious attitude bothered her a bit, but Kurenai was enjoying the attention. The couple got congratulated and was teased about when the wedding will be held. Along the way, Gai also challenged Kakashi to a showdown, but Kakashi declined; he even conceded and accepted his loss because he didn't want to be away from Rin for a second. Gai cried as usual and muttered something along the lines of the springtime of youth and ran off to work out.

Their date was slightly ruined when a female ANBU came to report to Kakashi of their mission which would start next week and then later Rin got assigned to a S-rank mission also. They both talked it over about the whole ANBU and tough missions Rin went on since she got promoted to Jounin a year ago. They both agreed and respected that it was their decision when to quit and the other person could not force the other to resign. But other then that, the date turned out lovely with very few interference. Kakashi's favorite part though was when he wrapped his arms around her as they went to bed.


End file.
